


Friends to the end

by ihamtmus



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Character Study, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, No Slash, Triumvirate, platonic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-18 01:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10606452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihamtmus/pseuds/ihamtmus
Summary: Kirk, Spock and McCoy - the golden trio we all know and love. Here is the effect of my fascination with their friendship: a bunch of drabbles which hopefully show their relationship in an original way. Kind of a character study, I suppose. No slash.





	1. A day inside

Dark. Even though illuminated with billions of stars, the space is dark. They are sailing through an unending sea of twinkly blackness. It is always night here, light of so many suns cannot keep the darkness at bay. It is helpless against an overwhelming gloom, like a group of soldiers confronting a much more numerous force. Their heroics can be glorious, but no matter how hard they try to survive, their hopeless attempts are doomed to failure.

Spock was looking through a huge window, lost in thoughts, when a gust of laughter made him turn around to see the Doctor and the Captain talking enthusiastically, broad smiles on their faces.

He felt a pleasant warmth spreading inside him.

 _Fascinating_ , he thought. How do only two stars always manage to make a day inside his heart so easily?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	2. Just like coffee

Yes, the Bridge is a very important part of a starship. It's a place where the most significant decisions are made, where incompetence is not allowed, where the smallest lapse in concentration can have really dangerous effects. Life and death of the whole crew depends on the vigilance and abilities of those who work there. It's definitely not a place for social meetings. People who have no important reason to be there just... can't be there. There are no exceptions from that rule. At least there shouldn't be...

So how does one explain the fact that the ship's Chief Medical Officer visits this very important place so often? And, to be honest, in most cases without a good reason at all?

It's quite easy. Perhaps not everyone can understand it, but people who know the Captain can.

Because the Bridge without the presence of Leonard McCoy is like coffee without sugar. Many wouldn't mind, but James T. Kirk wouldn't be able to swallow it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! More is coming!


	3. A human alien

He felt really comfortable among humans. Their company suited him. Yes, they could be highly unreasonable, impatient, egoistic and most illogical; but all the same only they could be so passionate, so selfless, empathetic, compassionate... So human.

But it was not the only reason why he quite enjoyed sharing his life with them. There was something else, deep inside him, something he was reluctant to admit, even to himself.

He was an alien for them.

Those humans perceived him as a Vulcan and treated him as such, which was something he had always longed for. Among his own people, he had always felt isolated. For just as humans seemed to easily forget about his human half, Vulcans kept it in their minds. No matter what he achieved, how he behaved, how he tried to prove that he really was a Vulcan, he had always been alien in a way for his own kin.

Among humans, he could finally feel like a real Vulcan.

Of course, he was aware that the Captain remembered about his human half; Jim knew him only too well. But there was one more person who, despite repeated reminders about his Vulcan appearance, didn't forget about his dual nature.

Time and time again, Leonard McCoy demanded that Spock admitted to having emotions, and while Spock was not going to say it aloud, deep inside he was quite grateful for that. His whole life, he had wanted to be treated like a normal Vulcan; being a member of this human crew helped him to he achieved his goal. And yet, as the Doctor kept reminding him of his unwanted, carefully concealed half, he did not mind. He really did not mind.

Because it enraptured him no end that this possibly most human of all humans really could see a human inside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! There's going to be more soon. :)


	4. If he had been human

From time to time, there were days when the Doctor was sad. Spock could always sense it, despite the fact that the man was quite good at hiding it.

On days like these, his usually bright eyes were subdued, he lacked his typical energy, he did not appear on the Bridge... He worked with an uncharacteristic calmness and was not heard growling at his patients. Or anybody at all. This was nothing less than unsettling.

On days like these, Spock wished he could do something. If he had been human, he would have simply asked what was bothering the Doctor. He would have put a hand on his friend's shoulder and said that everything was going to be all right, that he was not alone. If he had been human, he would have even offered a hug. A talk. A drink. _If_ he had been human.

On days like these, Spock wished he had. As a Vulcan, he had much less to offer. All he could give was his green blood and his pointy ears.

Even on days like these, McCoy could not resist making a remark about them if he was given a chance. And Spock had never found a better use for his Vulcan appearance than to make his friend's eyes shine again, even if just a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all those kudos and comments! Next drabble next week! :)


	5. The weather forecasters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was inspired by McCoy's quote from the episode „The Devil in the Dark". Enjoy! :D

 

It is not that it ever rains in space; yet sometimes Spock catches himself thinking about rain.

He always knows what the weather is like in the Captain's mind. It is usually sunny there. However, there are days when a storm rages. Sometimes there are just some clouds. And, of course, there are also rainy days at times.

Spock is not overly fond of those last ones. They put him in most inconvenient position. In the position of... not knowing what to do, how to react. They leave him with a feeling of helplessness, watching his friend in such a miserable state and being unable to help.

He has never been a man to comfort someone. He can provide logical arguments and some useful advice, which is invaluable in case of a storm. He can be a great companion on sunny days. He is even able to chase the intrusive clouds away on occasion, simply with his presence, silent signs of understanding, sympathy... But he finds himself helpless against the rain. So when it rains he simply stands by his Captain, offering his company. He does not bring an umbrella, he gets a wetting with him.

Fortunately, he is not the only weather forecaster aboard the Enterprise. It never ceases to amaze him just how much McCoy can do with a single look, single smile, single word. Is it not fascinating that the rain stops immediately and they can both dry off, watching the remaining puddles disappear?

And when Spock senses a break in the weather in his own heart, he knows to whom to go.

The Doctor suggested once that he might have been able to cure a rainy day. Spock has no doubts that those words were true. As McCoy is so fond of reminding, he is a doctor. It is his job, to cure things. So he cures everything, even the bad weather. Even a rainy day. Even a heart. A green one too. Fascinating.

 


	6. So much more

Jim, I'm a doctor, not a mechanic! I'm a doctor, not a coal miner! Not an escalator, not a psychiatrist! Not a magician or a bricklayer! I'm a doctor!

Yes, Leonard McCoy definitely was a doctor. He pointed it out often enough for everybody to remember. He was a doctor, nothing less and nothing more.

But God, he was so much more.

Wasn't he a mechanic? He was the only person Jim knew who could repair him so quickly after another unsuccessful mission, after he made some misguided decisions again, which led to a disaster. He could rewire his heart with incredible confidence and gentleness... He really was able to fix everyone and everything.

Wasn't he a miner? Once he got to your heart, he didn't stop digging in search of all the deposits of beauty in you, looking for your wealth, hidden wonders. And once he found them, he brought them out of you, carefully, smiling enthusiastically, because he found a treasure inside you and then you knew you weren't just a bin of rubbish, because someone took the time and effort to show you you were a miracle, you were worth of love...

Did he really say he wasn't an escalator? Did he not know that without him Kirk wouldn't be able to make his way up on the another and another floor? Sometimes he was too weak to use traditional stairs in his life. His friend was always there for him, always there to get him higher.

He also said he wasn't a psychiatrist. What a nonsense. He was one, and one of the best. And not just to him, to every single one member of the crew. He was always willing to listen to everybody, ready to help. People sensed it and trusted him. He was there for them.

He said he wasn't a magician. Oh, Kirk wouldn't agree with that. He wouldn't be able to count the times McCoy saved his or Spock's life, the times he worked several dozen of hours without cessation to find a vaccine which could save them all, the times when he succeeded in an operation when everyone thought, including McCoy himself, that there was nothing to be done to save the patient. How was he able to do all of this if he didn't use magic?

A bricklayer... This was also kind of truth that McCoy actually was one. Kirk knew how much he had suffered in his life. He had experienced rejection, loss, death of a loved one. He knew how it felt to be left alone, broken. And he wasn't going to let anyone hurt him again. So he built a strong wall around his heart, he barricaded himself there, didn't let anyone inside. Almost anyone. Kirk and few others had the privilege to come in. And to stay.

Leonard McCoy was so much more than just a doctor.

He was so much more than he thought he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Do you want more? :D


End file.
